


two birds, one stone

by depressionjutsu (fullfeature)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Coffee Shops, F/M, M/M, Meet-Cute, i think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-07 14:44:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11625759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullfeature/pseuds/depressionjutsu
Summary: Keith has a pretty shitty boyfriend for how pretty he is, Shiro thinks.(or Shiro being a dirty eavesdropper)





	two birds, one stone

Shiro is neck deep in a pile of cadet portfolio’s when he hears the coffee shop’s doorbells chime. It’s not that the noise is unusual, but Bean & Brew is rather quiet usually. The shop is owned by an old man Shiro knows well. Mr. Swanton was well into his seventies, and he often needed help with general maintenance and repair, as well as simple tasks like carrying his groceries up into his apartment above the shop. Bean & Brew only has two other employees besides Mr. Swanton, meaning the service is slow and the working hours are short. When Shiro asked why he didn’t just close the store Swanton had given him a hard stare. _Shiro,_ he’d said, _I am not a man that throws in the towel just because I might not be the best._ It had stuck with Shiro, not that he’d ever told the man that.  
  


When Shiro looked up to the sound, eyes diverted from another mediocre average he was met with a man who was huffing quietly. It could’ve been that he’d hurried, but it was more likely due to the fact that he was wearing a crisp suit jacket on top of a long sleeve button up. Sure, they weren’t technically in the desert anymore, a good thirty minutes or so from the garrison, but Shiro didn’t even think he owned such stuffy clothing. The man is loudly apologizing to someone Shiro can’t see, his eyes trying to focus on Cadet Macklin and his rather impressive string of discipline problems. Shiro tries to tune them out, except the two sit only a table away, and the music is low because Mr. Swanton doesn’t like hearing it in his apartment or the back office, so Shiro can hear almost everything.  


“Sorry I’m late,” Mr. Suit says, “I got held up talking to some guys about the game last night.” His tone isn’t very apologetic at all, and Shiro thinks he can hear the sound of Mr. Suit’s fingers against his phone.  


“No that’s fine, it makes this easier anyway.” The new voice, male, sounds exhausted. Shiro resigns himself to the fact that he is apparently a dirty eavesdropper now. “I don’t think this is working out.”  


Shiro blinks. Apparently Mr. Suit is not as stunned. “Ha!” The man laughs. Shiro can imagine the way his head throws back. “That’s real cute babe. Let me get a drink real quick.”  


“I’m not joking!” Oh. Well this is awkward, Shiro thinks. Mr. Suit apparently doesn’t hear his companion shout.  


There is a lull. Shiro puts his focus back to the cadets. He is looking at the profile of a young woman now, her tests are high in everything except flight. Shiro sighs. Couldn’t the computer have taken out profiles that didn’t have an iota of what he wanted? He puts her into the large stack of rejects.  


“Ok, babe. Now what is this about? I’ve had a long day.” Oh. Shiro’s show is back on. Mr. Suit sounds resigned, like he would rather do literally anything else than talk about this.  


“I just don’t think this is working anymore. We don’t belong together. It was fun but it’s just… not anymore.” Companion sighs, sounds like the entire world is on their shoulders. Shiro feels bad. He really shouldn’t be listening to this.  


“Not fun anymore? Keith baby, what about all the stuff i’ve done for you? You want to throw all that away? You need me, honey.” Shiro makes a face. What a scumbag. Not that Shiro was a relationship expert, but he knew that you didn’t manipulate people, at least.  


“Craig--” Keith starts.  


“You wouldn’t believe the day I've had,” Craig steamrolls on. “My students just couldn’t grasp the concept of a male gaze in classic literature.” Shiro kinda wants to fist fight this dude. The teaching gig would explain the suit though. “Although I guess I shouldn’t complain to you about that, sorry honey, it’s ok if you don’t understand.” Ok so Shiro really wants to fist fight this dude.  


Keith is quiet for a second. “This is what I’m talking about--” Shiro tunes out. Keith sounds… young. Too young for Craig anyway. Before Shiro can return to being a voyeur a loud trill sounds.  


“Sorry, I gotta get this. Hold on, hon.” Craig answers the phone. Shiro literally cannot believe he is witnessing this. How in the world was that Keith guy with this douchebag? Shiro sneaks a peak at them, pretending to crack his back.  


It cracks loudly, which, ow. Keith’s head snaps up. They meet eyes. Shiro doesn’t pause, but is probably extremely obvious as he scans Keith from top to bottom. He turns back around. Fuck. Keith is pretty. Way to pretty to be treated like shit by Craig. Keith didn’t have anything on his side of the table except a bag, which means he probably meant for this to be over quickly. Poor Keith. There is a blissful few minutes where Craig excuses himself to chat. Shiro is able to sort through a more potential recruits. It’s mostly rejects, of course. The fighter pilot program was slim anyway, an advanced course selection was going to be tough to fill. Maybe Shiro just has high standards.  
  


“Craig. Listen. No! Don’t interrupt me. I am speaking.” Keith has a fire to his voice now. The phone call must have really set him off. Shrio wishes he could watch that passion, but it’s probably bad enough he’s listening. “I have let you insult me for months now. I… let you keep me from classes. I..” Keith’s voice lowers, saying words with an intensity that Shrio can feel, but nothing he can distinguish.  


“Honey. You know I've been busy lately. I can’t always tend to your whims.” Craig laughs, not trying to keep his voice down. There is the scrape of a chair and a quiet grunt from Keith. “Baby where are you going? You’re really going to end this?”  


Keith apparently sits back down. “We can still be… friends,” he says, but his reluctance is clear. Shiro looks at the clock. It’s almost time for dinner back at the garrison.  


“Keith… you’re the only one who gets me baby. I can’t love. Nobody loves me but you,” Craig is just as loud as before. The man has no shame apparently. There are more words exchanged, but Shiro can’t hear them. There’s the sound of Keith’s chair again. “Leave it. I’ll watch it,” Craig says.  


Keith passes Shiro’s table to use the restroom. Shiro tries not to let his eyes linger, but the dark jeans that the boy wears are distracting. Slim hips, athletic build. Shiro can see why Craig is desperate to keep him. Still doesn’t explain how they got together in the first place, though.  


Shiro hears Craig’s voice again. He’s telling someone he’ll be there soon. When Shiro turns to look Craig is just speaking into his cellphone. What kind rude motherfucker uses text to talk in public? How does anyone deal with this man? No answer comes. Shiro checks his own phone. He has a few texts, mostly work related. His email is crowded with questions about the advanced pilot program. He sighs. It’s great that people are interested, but the info bulletin explicitly said he would be selecting the participants, no application necessary. Shiro almost wants to pull their files and put them directly in the reject pile. He didn’t need a pilot who couldn’t read.

Just as he looks up Keith is walking back. The boy avoids his eyes this time, watching the floor. When he sits Craig launches into another story about his students. Shiro listens with half an ear. It’s mainly complaints that the students just don’t understand. Shiro gets through more profiles, noting a few that could make the cut if he had to lower the program’s standards a bit. He didn’t really want to teach, actually. There was nothing wrong with the students at the garrison, and he didn’t hate teaching exactly, but it… It wasn’t what Shiro had really had in mind. Scoring so well on all his simulations and rising to Junior Sergeant so fast made Shiro think that he’d be assigned on missions rather quickly.  


Instead he’d spent six months running tests on different aircrafts and then another six months doing small air runs transporting important figures. Diplomacy had been one of Shiro’s favorite courses, but flying diplomats around had been dull as dirt. He wanted adventure. He wanted to touch the stars.  


“So I think I might have a big opportunity coming,” Keith says. He actually sounds excited. There’s more personality in the statement than anything else Shiro has heard him say.  


“Oh yeah?” Craig responds, his voice far less invested.  


“Uh, yeah.” Keith says. There is a small pause. Well? Shiro wants to ask. “I think I might get chosen for an advanced program.” Keith continues, less enthusiastic.  


“That’s great sweets. Don’t get your hopes up too high though,” Craig says. Motherfucker. Shiro wants knock his pearly white teeth into the back of his throat.  


“Oh yeah.” Keith says. Shiro can imagine him nodding, hair swishing. “I hope they don’t take into account all the fights i’ve been in… Most of them I didn’t even throw the first punch. It wouldn’t be fair--”  


“Well, people can be bitches sometimes,” Craig interrupts. What a shitty dude. Shiro wishes he was confident enough to tell Craig to eat a dick. He also wishes he was confident enough to ask Keith if he could show him what a real boyfriend looked like.  


A different cell phone tone rings. Keith answers it, giving short a short yes before he apparently hangs up. “I have to go,” he tells Craig. “Please don’t call me.” Shiro wants to fist bump the boy. Craig is starting to talk again, but the door chimes before he even finishes a sentence.  


Shiro turns back to his work. Finally, he can give the profiles his full attention. He smiles a small smile to himself. Keith would be just fine without Craig in his life. Maybe they’d run into each other again at Bean & Brew. Shiro didn’t want to play knight in shining armor, but it wouldn’t be amiss if he asked Keith out down the road.  


He puts another profile into the maybe pile. The next cadet’s scores raise his eyebrows. Flight simulations off the charts in skill, decision making under pressure stat well past his peers. Basic history and english scores pretty average, but weapon use and hand-to-hand above average too. This is the kind of recruit Shiro was looking for.  


Shiro is startled from his thoughts of how the cadet could improve by Craig’s phone. The man is stood at the trashcan near the register. “Hey honey,” Keith? “Oh no, yeah I’m on my way home now, just stayed back with a student.” Oh no. No way.  


Craig pulls a men’s ring from his pocket. This motherfucker. “I’ll see you soon sweetie, tell Andrew I got the snacks he wanted for lunch.” Craig puts the ring on and walks out of Bean & Brew. Shiro cannot even begin to fathom what the fuck is happening. Poor Keith. Poor Craig’s other half. Shiro takes a moment of silence for them.    


As he goes to put the profile in the slim accepted stack he looks at the name and picture. Shiro stops short.  


Name: Keith Kogane

Age: 19  


To the side was a picture of the boy Shiro had just been silent for. Same dark eyes, same silky hair. Shiro thinks for moment. Well, he could kill two birds with one stone then. Show Keith how a real teacher acted, and a real boyfriend.

**Author's Note:**

> EHy. I loved writing this. I actually wrote it in one sitting so if it's not up to snuff i'm sorry.  
> first Voltron fic :)
> 
> ((is Shiro ooc??? probably.))
> 
> OH inspired by a text post by forfuckssakejim on tumblr!


End file.
